An Inside Look at What Tennessee is Getting in Kaleb Webb

Powder Springs, Ga.— Kaleb Webb announced his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers earlier today. Webb, a standout receiver at McEachern High School, is a

Powder Springs, Ga.— Kaleb Webb announced his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers earlier today. Webb, a standout receiver at McEachern High School, is a longtime top target for Kodi Burns and the Tennessee staff. His head coach, Franklin Stephens, shared insight into what the Vols are getting in his star wide receiver. 

“That’s a very good question," Stephens said when asked what makes Webb special. "I think that he’s a worker. That makes him special. He’s a kid that had to go get it. A lot of kids have been offered in ninth grade, tenth grade, but Kaleb had it stacked against him this summer, but he went and got it. He’s a hard worker in the classroom, in the weight room, on the field. He worked and he took it. He worked his butt off in the winter, then in the summer he was ready to go. That was the plan because summer camps were opening back up. The sad thing was that he was out for a week in the spring because of track in which he won the 4x100. But then he had a great game in the spring game with limited practice. And people still would not jump on him. And then in August, it all happened. That’s the thing about recruiting, people don’t get interested til someone else does. So, now all his hard work is starting to pay off."

"But then you say, what makes him special?" Stephens continued. "6’3”. 190 pounds, runs extremely well, can pluck the ball out of the air, has this huge catch radius, large hands, things you look for in a receiver. But the affect he has on his teammates is what makes him special. He’s not a selfish person, even in games when things don’t go his way, he wasn't a selfish person. And he embellished and enjoys his teammates success on the field as well. And some guys don’t do those types of things anymore. But when you go back and look at the film, you see him along with other guys that had great plays celebrating with them. He's not turning and walking off the field, he is right there with them.  He’s enjoying his teammates. It might’ve been Nick Saban that said, “When it’s your best players doing something like that, you can get something done.

Stephens has coached other top end talent at McEachern, including current Alabama wide receiver Javon Baker, but he notes that what makes Webb's 1,800 yard receiving season so special was that night in and night out in 7A football in Georgia, every team they faced knew Webb was getting the ball and they couldn't stop him. That was something the standout receiver embraced and used to help changed the culture around at the McEachern program. 

"He’s one of those guys who has turned the culture around in the program," Stephens said. "He’s never met a stranger as far as I can tell. And now he’s a Power Five guy, but there can be a NAIA coach here, a D1, D2, or D3 coach here, like today, and I am not going to call him into the office like that because he is between Louisville, Michigan, and Tennessee, right? But it is nothing for him to just come into the office on his own and introduce himself and go about his business with a big smile. This is the biggest compliment I can give him. He’s a phenomenal football player, and I hope he has a great career at the next level, but he’s a better person. He’s a better person, a great person you want around, and that’s the highest compliment I can give.”

Stephens has been a huge part of Webb's development to this point. While Webb has had a stellar prep career, there are always steps to be taken to improve your craft. 

“You always want to get faster and routes sharper," Stephens said of where Webb can continue to improve his game. "He’s going to have to get used to the rigor and the physicality of those DBs at the next level. Because week in week out he’s going to see guys that are his caliber. And he’s going to have to get his body and mind physically and mentally ready for that. It is not that he can't because he can. He’s going to have to fill his body out. He’s strong, benches 300lbs, cleans 275, squats a high number,  but you don’t see those muscles. Wait til they come…”